D&C 67: The Challenge to Produce a Revelation and the Standard for Truth

I have a try square hanging on the wall in my shop. It is not a fancy tool. Just a steel blade set at a perfect ninety degrees to a wooden handle. I use it more than almost anything else I own. When I cut a board, I hold the square against the edge and look for light between the blade and the wood. If I see light, the cut is wrong. The square does not tell me how to fix it. It just tells me the truth.

I thought about that square while reading D&C 67. The chapter is short but it asks a question that cuts to the bone. How do you know when something is really from God?

How to Know if a Revelation is From God LDS

The setting matters. In late 1831, a conference of elders was gathering in Hiram, Ohio. Several of them had been receiving what they believed were revelations. The Lord responded through Joseph Smith with a direct challenge.

And now I, the Lord, give unto you a testimony of the truth of these commandments which are lying before you. Your eyes have been upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and his language you have known, and his imperfections you have known; and you have sought in your hearts knowledge that you might express beyond his language; this you also know.

The Lord was telling them something important. They had seen Joseph up close and knew his language and his imperfections. And they had wanted to produce something that went beyond what he had given them. The challenge was a test of humility as much as a test of revelation.

Then the Lord told them something that still makes me stop. He said to take the least revelation from the Book of Commandments and have the wisest among them try to produce one like it. If they could, they would be justified in saying they did not know the revelations were true. But if they could not, they would be under condemnation if they did not bear record that they were true.

But if ye cannot make one like unto it, ye are under condemnation if ye do not bear record that they are true.

That is a bold test. The Lord was not asking them to try harder or study more. He was asking them to compare their own best effort against what He had already given. The standard was already on the table.

Meaning of D&C 67 Challenge to Produce Revelation

I read that challenge and I think about how easy it is to confuse a good idea with a prompting. I have done it plenty of times. I get an impression about something and I am sure it is from the Lord. But then I sit with it for a day or two and I realize it was just me wanting something to be true.

The elders in Hiram were in the same position. They had good intentions. But the Lord drew a line between what comes from Him and what comes from the imagination of our own hearts. He said they had fears in their hearts and that was why they did not receive. That is a hard thing to hear, but it is also a merciful thing because He did not leave them guessing. He gave them a way to check.

I wrote about a similar idea in a previous article on D&C 66: Revelation to William E. McLellin. McLellin wanted to know the Lord's will for his life and the Lord gave him a direct answer. D&C 67 takes the next step. It gives the whole church a method for testing whether something is revelation at all.

How to Discern Between Personal Opinion and Revelation

The key verses for me are verses 10 through 13. The Lord says that if the elders will strip themselves from jealousies and fears and humble themselves, the veil will be rent and they will see Him and know that He is. But He also tells them they are not able to abide His presence now and to continue in patience until they are perfected.

And again, verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am.

I like that He does not say the truth will be handed to you all at once. He says the veil will be rent, but only after you have stripped away the things that get in the way. That suggests a process. You humble yourself and strip away jealousy and fear, and then the truth shows itself over time.

It is like checking a board with a try square. You do not have to guess whether the cut is square. You hold the tool against the wood and the truth is right there in the gap. The revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants are that square. When I read a verse and it rings true in a way I cannot explain, that is the square telling me the cut is good. When something feels off, I do not ignore it. I check it again.

LDS Church Standard for Testing Revelations

The chapter ends with a call to patience. The Lord says to let their minds not turn back and that when they are worthy, in His own due time, they will see and know what was conferred upon them by Joseph Smith.

Let not your minds turn back; and when ye are worthy, in mine own due time, ye shall see and know that which was conferred upon you by the hands of my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. Amen.

I find that reassuring. The standard for testing revelation is not a complicated theology. It is the same thing that has always been available. A humble heart, a willingness to strip away jealousy and fear, and patience. The revelations themselves become the square you hold against everything else.

I keep that try square on the wall where I can see it. I keep it there because I need the reminder that there is a standard, not because I need to check every board. I do not have to figure everything out on my own. The truth is already there. I just have to hold my work up against it and see where the light comes through.

-- D.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the Lord challenge the elders to write their own revelations in D&C 67?

The challenge was a teaching tool. The elders needed to learn the difference between genuine revelation and their own thoughts. By writing something down and comparing it to the revelations already given, they could see the difference for themselves. The standard was already there for them to measure against.

What does it mean for a revelation to be equal to the least of those already given?

It means that true revelation has a consistent quality and authority. Even the smallest revelation in the Book of Commandments carried a divine signature that human effort could not replicate. The test was not about being better. It was about recognizing that God's voice sounds different from our own.

Does this section mean that only the prophet can receive revelation?

No. The section acknowledges that the elders were receiving impressions. But it establishes that the prophet holds the keys for the whole church and that the revelations given through him provide the standard. Personal revelation is real, but it is measured against the same standard that applies to everyone.

What is the Book of Commandments mentioned in D&C 67?

The Book of Commandments was the first published collection of Joseph Smith's revelations, printed in 1833 in Independence, Missouri. It was the predecessor to the Doctrine and Covenants. Most of the copies were destroyed when a mob attacked the printing press, but enough survived to preserve the revelations.

How can I apply D&C 67 to my daily life?

When you feel an impression or think you have received guidance, hold it up against the scriptures and the words of living prophets. Ask yourself if it is consistent with what God has already revealed. If it matches, you can move forward with confidence. If it does not, give it time and keep asking.